I would’ve shared something about my Spotify Wrapped earlier if it was more interesting. Unfortunately, I listened to the 91-piece compilation of Daniel Barenboim playing Chopin and Mendelssohn a little bit too much, making 3 of my top 5 artists Chopin, Mendelssohn, and Barenboim. You would think Spotify data scientists would be able to deal with that…anyway, the artist that I listened to the most with actually new songs was Natalia Lafourcade, the very first “What I’m listening to now” subject.
The most interesting bit of my Wrapped was this.
If you’ve been looking at the “What I’m listening to now” section at the end of my posts, you’d have noticed that I listen to a lot of music from outside the US. But I’ve also noticed this year that I’m listening to a lot more music from Chicago than before. I’m guessing that the only city outside the US1 that produced more of the music I listened to this year is London (I listened to a lot of British jazz this year).
So here goes my list of Chicago albums that I really liked this year, ordered by when I found them. Let me know if you have something you like that’s not here.
Note: I would’ve included Sundial by Noname, if not for the last minute and a half of “balloons”, where a guest rapper spouts antisemitic lines referencing the Nation of Islam, which I guess is appropriate for Chicago in a way.
Rituals + Routines
Marquis Hill
Marquis Hill is a jazz trumpeter, and this is jazz but with other elements coming in (R&B, hip-hop, some sort of meditation guide). The vibraphonist Joel Ross that I mentioned a couple months ago makes an appearance on the 3rd track.
Between Breaths
Third Coast Percussion
Third Coast Percussion is an awesome classical percussion quartet based in Chicago. Ironically, I’ve only seen them live in Columbia, South Carolina, just before moving to Chicago. Most of the pieces here were commissioned by the group, which is partly an indication that there isn’t much classical music written for 4 percussionists. Just about everything here involves absurdly precise interplay by the musicians, but I think the first piece, “Between Breaths”, is the most fun.
Cousin
Wilco
The most mainstream selection on the list. One thing I really like about this album is Cate Le Bon’s contribution as producer. You expect Wilco to play indie folk with fairly sparse arrangement, but on many songs in this album there’s thick arrangements with dark undertones in the background, which is exactly what her music sounds like2.
Lados B
Daniel Villarreal
This was recorded in LA, but Daniel Villarreal is a drummer/DJ based in the Pilsen neighborhood. It’s a good collection of jams with Latin rhythms. I guess it’s jazz, but I don’t always feel like I’m listening to jazz. Neal Francis (see below) plays Rhodes piano on “Salute”.
Romantic Piano
Gia Margaret
This is an album with very few words from a singer-songwriter. It’s ambient music that sounds like an art film soundtrack.
Maria’s Hunt
Glyders
This is just fun, often garage-y rock & roll. It’s mostly old-fashioned music, but their inspirations seem to range pretty wide—from blues rock and psychedelic to country rock.
The Separatist Party
Mike Reed
This is another album on this list in the “is this jazz or not jazz?” territory. A lot of the songs are about putting improvised lines on top of rhythms that Mike Reed lays down on the drum set. That setup is pretty similar to the Daniel Villarreal album above, but the music here is a lot busier with more instruments, and more adventurous.
Dancing Together
Rami Atassi
This is the most obscure one on the list, and I wouldn’t have found out about this album if not for this Chicago Magazine article, but it might actually be my favorite. The first track “Dancing Together” has a strong Arabic feel but also shamisen (Japanese instrument similar to the banjo) played by the local Japanese-American jazz musician Tatsu Aoki. “Yuma Soul” plays with an unusual time signature while staying funky. “Garden Song” is a blues song that comes with a harmonica. “Great Plains” has Indian (Carnatic, to be more precise) singing. Anyway, it’s an impressive feat to incorporate so many influences and create something coherent and, more importantly, fun. A lot more people should listen to this one.
Francis Comes Alive (Live)
Neal Francis
This is horn-based psychedelic soul with Neal Francis singing and playing the piano, recorded at Thalia Hall in Pilsen. His two studio albums are both great, and the live show sounds like a blast as well.
Like most people, I’ve probably listened to a lot more music from New York and LA than Chicago.
Listen to Flying Wig by Devendra Banhart for another Cate Le Bon-produced gem from this year.